Impregnated shoe stiffener



DURCHES'IER, lVZAFiSACElJ'SElTTS.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to the manufacture of impregnated felt, and moreespecially, to the manufacture of felts stillened by impregnation withcelluloid.

Felts impregnated with celluloid have been found to be very useful inthe shoe industry. Such stiffened materials have been used itorbox'toes', counters, and, more'recently, innersoles in the manufactureof shoes.

l he felt base usually employed in preparing such stifieners is avillous pile fabric,

which, although yielding a very good and desirable product, is veryexpensive, and it has been the aim of box toe and counter manufacturersto secure a substitute material capable of being used in substantiallythe same manner in the process of manufacturing box toes and countersfor use in shoes, but less-expensive in cost of manufacture.

Various substitutes have been proposed, among them being such productsas shortfibred roofing telt, pufied paper, and cottonlined pulpproducts. All such materials have failed primarily because they were notsumciently absorbent to insure the retention o1 a prepondering amountot'celluloid, and also because of the papery nature of the impregnatedproduct. I

After many experiments, I have finally succeeded in preparing animpregnated felt which meets with all of the requirements ofshoe-stiffener and shoe manufacture.

In carrying out my'invention 1 take av relatively short fibrous pulp,such as textile rags (mixed cotton and wool rags), or a mixture of suchrags and other fibres such as cellulosic pulps, asbestos, with orwithout inert filling substances such as clay, celite, and so forth, andtreat it, in the presence of Water, in a beater engine, or hollander,until all of the fibres have been brushed out smoothly. ll then addrelatively longer fibres, such as jute, hair, silk, and/or other longfibres, and crush out the mixture without, however, cutting the longfibres. After mixing the stock with a large volume of water, ll sheet itout and dry it on a cylinder machine. v

By the term longfibre ll mean to identify a fibre much longer than theusual length run on cylinder machines. The usual length of fibreincorporated in felts run on cylinder machines is about fourmillimeters, and by the term long fibre is meant fibres varying inlength from six or seven millimeters to twenty millimeters or more.

Application filed ETebruaiy 14, 1827.

Serial Ell-"o, 168,241.

The textile rags are usuallyfinely shredded before being loaded into thebeater engine, this being found to yield a smoother felt than the usualpractice of coarsely cutting the textile rags. The long fibres areobtained from various sources, and undergo various treatments,depending. on the particular class of fibre, before adding to the beatenshorter fibres. When long hair is used, it is first washed free of lime,and is then added directly to the beater engine. @n the other hand, whensilk, jute, or woolfibre is added to supply the longer fibre, the silkcloth, jute bag ging, or wool flock, containing the respective fibres,are first loosely fiberized, preferably by means of a textile pickingmachine, yielding a fibre about an inch long.

The method of impregnating the felt. with celluolid generally consistsin dissolving scrap celluloid trimmings or Waste film in varioussolvents, of which a mixture of equal parts of di-acetone and grainalcohol is an example, and then dipping the felt in the viscous solutionso formed, scraping oil or squeezing out the excess solution, and thenspraying with or dippmg the felt 1n water.

The product resulting from the impregnation of such long fibredfeltswith celluloid is quite dense, and may be used for various purposes. When used for box toes for shoes, it is first softened by meansof solvents, of which a mixture of equal parts of grain alcohol and(ll-acetone is an example, and is then lasted with the toe portion ofthe upper, together with the'lining, so as to conform to the shapeot'the last, and hardens and sets when the solvent evaporates. Likewise,it may be used for counters for shoes, and also for innersoles. Beinginexpensive to manufacture, it permits of wide use in many difierentindustries. The combination of the celluloid and felt containing aportion of long-fibred threads distributed throughout a sort-fibred baserepresents a new composition of matter havingvery many uses and yet isinexpensive to manufacture;

As an example of the proportions of mate- The stock is beaten out untilsmooth, and then 350 pounds of picked jute or silk 'with suilicientwater to promote circulation.

- in 3400 pounds of solvent containing equal weights of grain alcoholand diacetone.

Various'modifications in materials, pr'oportions, and methods ofimpregnating may obviously be resorted to, but all such variants are tobe considered to be within the scope of my invention as defined in theappended claims. I

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A felted material .of the water-laid type for making box toes ofshoes, comprising, in

combination, a sheet formed, substantially,

of ashort. fibrous pulp, having relatively longer fibres distributedtherethrough, and

in felted relation therewith, and a celluloid impregnating agent, saidsheet impregnated with said celluloid.

2. A felted material of the water-laid type, for making box toes ofshoes, comprising in combination, a sheet formed, substantially, of ashort, fibrous pulp, having relatively longer silkfibres distributedtherethrough, and in felted relation therewith, and a celluloidimpregnating agent, said sheetbeing saturated with said celluloid.

3. A felted material, of the water-laid type, for making box toes ofshoes, comprising, in combination, a sheet formed, substantially, ofshort-beaten textile rags, having relatively longer fibres distributedtherethrough, and in felted relation therewith, and a celluloidimpregnating agent, said sheet being impregnated with said celluloid.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY PHILIP SHOPNECK.

